Brailey brothers competing for one spot but Sharks want both

After being presented with his No.14 jersey by brother Jayden ahead of his NRL debut for Cronulla in round one, Blayke Brailey held it in front of his elder sibling as they posed for a photo.

"It was as if that was his [Jayden's] jersey," Sharks coach John Morris said ahead of their third match together against North Queensland on Saturday. "They are pretty competitive. [Blayke] likes to have a shot at him but I think he knows his place in the pecking order."

The Brailey brothers are happy sharing the hooking duties for Cronulla this season but there is also a rivalry caused by the fact they're unlikely to ever be on the field at the same time - unless they are playing for opposite teams.

With only one hooker needed at any given time, they are always opposed to each other at training and it may eventually become like that in the NRL as rival clubs eye off the brothers.

"The boys like to make it fun at training and make them wrestle off and play them off against each other at times, but they are really happy for each other," Morris said. "I think Jayden is rapt that he is playing with his younger brother at this level.

"They drive each other at training and if it is team 1 v team 2 or I mix the teams up they are obviously always going against each other. You throw James Segeyaro into the mix as well and it is a pretty hotly contested jumper.

"I think it has been good for Jayden, he has started the year really well. I have been really impressed with Jayden so having his brother snapping at his heels and bringing 'Chico' back that competition is going to be healthy for himself and the squad."

As Morris points out, it is an unusual situation to have two brothers vying for the one position.

The Burgess brothers, Sam, George, Tom and Luke, were all able to play together in the South Sydney forward pack; the Morris twins, Brett and Josh, play wing and centre; and the Johns siblings, Andrew and Matthew, were halfback and five-eighth.

Eventually, the Sharks may have to choose between the Brailey brothers before one of them will decide who stays or goes by accepting an offer from a rival club.

Blayke is off contract at the end of the season so a decision is imminent.

"We obviously want to hang on to both of them for as long as we can, given that they are local juniors who have come through our system," Morris said.

"We are hoping to get that sorted and we will work through that with the family. We understand it is a sensitive topic so we will keep trying to come up with the right outcome for all involved."

With Jayden able to play the full 80 minutes if required, Blayke received a 17-minute stint in his debut against the Knights but played 55 minutes in last Saturday’s 20-6 defeat of Gold Coast after Jayden was forced off with concussion.

"I thought defensively Blayke has been really strong and he is really quick. He is a different type of player to Jayden and they are sharing that role very well at the moment," Morris said.

"At the back end of the game when the middles are starting to tire it is good to bring on someone like Blayke. He is a ball of energy, he is really quick out of dummy half and his service and skills are very good."

Meanwhile, Morris wants the Sharks to improve their discipline in Townsville after conceding 23 penalties in their first two matches and completing just 60 per cent of their sets of possession against Newcastle and 63 per cent against the Titans.

"We know that to go up to North Queensland we need to complete at about 80 per cent in what is going to be a hot and humid afternoon for us," he said.

The match will be captain Paul Gallen’s 329^th NRL appearance for Cronulla – surpassing the club record held by former Kangaroos centre and winger Andrew Ettingshausen that has stood for 18 years.

Morris said the Sharks planned to celebrate Gallen’s milestone at their next home game on April 13 against Sydney Roosters.

"We will still make it special for him but if we can get the two points that is the top of his list," he said.